Author: On Common Ground News

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Larry Johnson, in his role as DeKalb County’s District 3 Commissioner and immediate past president of the National Association of Counties, attended the nation’s celebration of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act on Sept. 13 at the nation’s Capitol. President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law on Aug.  16. The IRA aims to reduce the federal deficit, cut carbon emissions and address several issues related to healthcare such as lowering the costs of prescription drugs. According to an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the IRA would reduce federal deficits by $102 billion between 2022…

By Mark Brock DCSD Athletics Specialist STONECREST, GA—Former Arabia Mountain High School’s Chandler Martin has been named the Southern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week. The East Tennessee State linebacker is making a comeback after being redshirted his freshman year due to injury and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lithonia native exploded with 23 tackles in East Tennessee’s 20-17 loss to The Citadel on Saturday, Sept. 10. Martin entered last Saturday’s game with a total of 13 tackles in nine games. Martin broke East Tennessee’s 29-year record of 22, which was set by Nakia Thomas in 1993 against Appalachian State.…

ATLANTA– Attorney General Chris Carr announced the conviction of Michelle Oliver on one count of operating an unlicensed personal care home, one count of willful deprivation of an elder person, seven counts of willful deprivation of a disabled adult, and 51 counts of financial exploitation of a disabled adult. A Dougherty County jury returned the guilty verdict on Sept. 8, 2022, following a seven-day trial. Judge Victoria Darrisaw subsequently handed down a 20-year sentence with the first seven years to be served in prison. Following her release, Oliver will be prohibited from being involved in any way with businesses or organizations…

DECATUR, GA— The DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections will conduct its normal monthly on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 4:30 p.m. This meeting will be conducted via teleconference (Zoom). Simultaneous public access to the meeting will be available via livestream on DCTV’s UStream channel at https://video.ibm.com/channel/dctv-channel-23.  To make a public comment, join via Zoom: https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/97184078303 or dial in via phone toll free at 888-270-9936 and use conference code: 171493.  Public comments of two minutes or less may be made live via the teleconference. For those joining the meeting by telephone, please be aware that phone numbers may be displayed to…

LITHONIA, GA—The Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce will host its Third Wednesday Luncheon on Sept. 21, 11:30 – 1 p.m., at the Stone Manor Events Facility, 3113 Stone Mountain St., Lithonia. The guest speaker for the event will be Katrina Young, Business Retention and Expansion Manager with Decide DeKalb Young served four terms on the Rockdale County Board of Education (RBOE) from 2007-2020. She was unanimously voted to serve as Board Chair in January 2019. Young represented the Board at the Conyers Rockdale Chamber of Commerce Board of Governor, Economic Development Board, and the Big Six Leadership initiative. Young served as…

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA—In recognition of National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 20, the Rockdale County Board of Elections is hosting a “Know Before You Go” voter information event.  Citizens are invited on that day, from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., to stop by the Board of Elections Office, 1115 West Avenue, S.W. to: ·       Register to vote ·       Verify your voter registration is up to date ·       Know where to vote ·       Confirm all voting dates/times ·       Pick up a sample ballot ·       Request a by-mail absentee ballot Those who are not able to attend the event are encouraged…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA – DeKalb County announced it has re-opened the county’s program to provide relief to tenants and landlords affected by the pandemic. To date, the DeKalb Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition (TLAC) has distributed $52.8 million for rent and utilities to almost 4,900 DeKalb families. With the support of the Board of Commissioners and in partnership with DeKalb County Clerk of State and Magistrate Courts, DeKalb Magistrate Court, Atlanta Legal Aid, DeKalb Dispute Resolution Center and the DeKalb Housing Authority, TLAC is designed to provide financial relief to DeKalb renters threatened by eviction and landlords facing revenue losses due to…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections (DeKalb VRE) is recruiting poll workers to support Advance Voting and the upcoming General Election on Election Day. Advance voting in DeKalb will be held Oct. 17-Nov. 4. The General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. There are several positions available including Poll Managers, Assistant Managers, Check-in Clerks and Administrative/Monitoring Clerks. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply immediately at www.dekalbcountyga.gov/voter-registration-elections/poll-employment. Applicants must meet the following requirements: An upright citizen of the United States A resident of or employed by DeKalb County (see website for details) 16 years of age or older Able…

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– Construction will begin on the Briarlake Sewer Rehabilitation Project on Sept. 26 and DeKalb  officials are inviting residents to a virtual meeting to learn more about the project. The community meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 15, 6:30 p.m, .via Zoom at https://dekalbcountyga.zoom.us/j/88633804904. A portion of Briarlake Road, between Briarcliff Road and Briarlake Trace Northeast, will be closed for approximately three months, while crews work to upgrade the sewer line and several manhole structures. The construction work requires a full road closure at the intersection of Briarcliff Road Northeast (400 feet) to Briarlake Trace NE. The manhole located on…